Marandi may go the
Keshu-Nityanand wayRanchi, November 8
After Kalyan Singh of Uttar Pradesh, Keshubhai Patel of Gujarat and Nityanand Swamy of Uttaranchal it seems the BJP central leadership has targeted to change the Chief Minister of Jharkhand. Political circles here are abuzz with the imminent ouster of Babu Lal Marandi soon after he completes one year on November 25.

No attacks on ultra camps in PoK: AdvaniNew Delhi, November 8
The Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, tonight ruled out any move by the armed forces to strike terrorists and their camps in the occupied Kashmir although hot pursuit was a legitimate action against an enemy under the international law.

A blind worker arranges wax candles at a
candle-making unit in New Delhi
on Thursday. The candles are sold ahead of Divali, one of the biggest festivals of
India, which falls on November 14.
— Reuters

Condoleeza Rice talks tough
USA to fight terrorism everywhereNew Delhi, November 8
Top US Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice today categorically stated that the USA would fight terrorism ‘wherever we see it’ including India and Washington’s good relationship with Pakistan would in no way undermine its ability to deal with the menace.

USA ‘told’ Pak to hand over
Dawood to IndiaNew Delhi, November 8
The USA is understood to have asked Islamabad to hand over to India Dawood Ibrahim, Tiger Memon and others accused in the Bombay blast case who have taken shelter in Pakistan, highly-placed sources said tonight.

Koshiyari: I’ll tone up
admnDehra Dun
Given the present circumstances it may not be an easy task for Mr Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, the new Chief Minister of Uttaranchal to deliver results as per the expectations of the BJP party high command but his dedicated and dynamic nature of working hard at the grassroot level is likely to earn him a good reputation among the bureaucracy and the masses by overhauling the system of governance adopted by his predecessor.

Models display designs from a new collection of diamond earrings and necklace called 'Hoopla' by Indian
company Tanishq at a show in Mumbai
on Thursday. The new range showcases over 40 designs, based on diamond hoops.
— Reuters

Manch warns govt on
WTONew Delhi, November 8
The Swadeshi Jagran Manch today warned the Vajpayee government against compromising India’s interest during the World Trade Organisation
meeting beginning at Doha tomorrow. “The Indian ministerial delegation attending the Doha meeting should walkout of the meeting if India’s aspiration are not met in the WTO,” SJM’s Delhi unit general secretary Ashwani Mahajan told newspersons here.

Live munition found in canalSriganganagar, November 8
Bikaner canal, which is being emptied for maintenance, is a veritable junkyard, albeit a dangerous one with the police recovering live ammunition near Jandwala Meera Sangla village in Abohar.

Sagarika
Roy, a Bangladeshi Hindu, holds her son Biswajit, in the Indian
border village of Badalpur, 420 km north of Calcutta, on Thursday.
Dozens of Bangladeshi Hindu families have crossed into
neighbouring West Bengal in recent weeks following alleged attacks
on the Hindu minority in Bangladesh. — Reuters

Musician L. Anand, 18, sings one of his
compositions during a recording at a studio in Bombay earlier this month. The young musician is recording a more
than four-hour song, involving 15 singers and 10 musicians, based on the romance of a Hindu warrior king and his Muslim wife, a beautiful dancer.
— Reuters

An Indian white tiger sits inside Delhi
Zoo with her
cub on Thursday. The Indian white tiger is surviving only in captivity because the animal does not camouflage itself well and is often hunted down in the wild. Delhi
Zoo is currently home to seven white tigers.
— Reuters

Malegaon still
surcharged: NCMNew Delhi, November 8
Situation in Maharashtra’s textile-town of Malegaon, which recently witnessed communal violence, is still surcharged, the National Commission for Minorities
today said and recommended a relief package, including exgratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the victims killed in the rioting.

3-cr package for
Malegaon riot-hitMalegaon, November 8
Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today announced a Rs 3 crore rehabilitation package for the riot-affected people of Malegaon and its neighbouring villages.

‘No Indian
troops in Afghanistan’New Delhi, November 8
India today denied the involvement of its Army officers with the US Army in helping the Northern Alliance to fight the militia in Afghanistan as claimed by the Taliban.
“No one belonging to the Indian Army is involved in guiding the Northern Alliance in Northern Afghanistan,” a Defence Ministry spokesman said.

Laden lookalike in OrissaBhubaneswar, November 8
Even as terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden is hiding in mountains and caves in distant Afghanistan, his lookalike in Orissa’s Nayagarh district has hit the headlines after being allegedly hounded by the district police.

’93 blasts: Sanjay Dutt to put up defenceMumbai, November 8
Altogether 123 accused, including film star Sanjay
Dutt, will put up their defence in the 1993 bomb blasts trial which has concluded after six years in a TADA court here.
Designated judge
P.D. Kode today asked defence lawyers to put forth their arguments in response to the CBI’s submission on the role played by the accused in the conspiracy leading to serial explosions in the metropolis which killed more than 200 persons and injured several
others.

DUJ condemns POTONew Delhi, November 8
The Delhi Union of Journalists has condemned the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance saying it is aimed at throttling not only Press freedom but democratic dissent at large.

Mishra remanded in 4 days’ CBI custodyNew Delhi, November 8
A designated court on Thursday remanded Chief Commissioner of Central Excise (Delhi) Someshvar Mishra, who was arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh from an
industrialist, in four days of CBI custody. Special CBI Judge M.L. Shani also remanded industrialist Ashok Chaturvedi and his employee, arrested on Wednesday along with Mishra for allegedly offering the bribe, in four days of CBI remand and asked the agency to produce all three on Monday.

Prohibitory orders in JodhpurJodhpur, November 8
Prohibitory orders have been promulgated after local residents clashed with the police protesting against an anti-encroachment drive here, a top
official said today.
The police resorted to lathi charge and burst teargas shells to disperse the crowd yesterday which pelted it with stones injuring 18 persons, including 10 policemen, District Collector Rajat Kumar said.

Six cooks make the world's largest "poori" made of
wheat flour in Mumbai.(28k,
56k)

Over exposure to technology and high parental expectations lead
to an increase in psychological disorders among children.(28k,
56k)

Asoka, a film on the legendry Mauryan King, has stirred
controversy, with a demonstration in front of a cinema hall.(28k,
56k)

Ranchi, November 8
After Kalyan Singh of Uttar Pradesh, Keshubhai Patel of Gujarat and Nityanand Swamy of Uttaranchal it seems the BJP central leadership has targeted to change the Chief Minister of Jharkhand. Political circles here are abuzz with the imminent ouster of Babu Lal Marandi soon after he completes one year on November 25.

The trail of trinity is seen set to claim its fourth victim as BJP high command, reportedly has made up its mind to change Marandi. The Jharkhand Governor already is talking of a second term of fresh look state governance with new set of priorities. Political analysts here believe that before the UP polls, the BJP central leadership wants to convey it to the people that it is serious over good governance in the BJP ruled states and that is why it would replace the “failed” CMs with new and able ones. The series of changes in UP, Gujarat and Uttaranchal are the indications that the BJP is now set for its next swift operation in Jharkhand, they believe.

It is widely being seen that Marandi has failed in his task as a leader of the NDA coalition as the Samata and JD (U) leaders of the state have been all the time organising meetings and conclaves against him. Even the BJP leaders are not happy with him over the distribution of portfolios. On the development front also, Marandi has nothing concrete to show with spectre of extremism looming large over his government. The Jharkhand Governor, too has been on record maintaining that so far the state only coped with the task of arranging the infrastructure and now is the time to go for development. That is why it is being believed that a new leader would be given the charge to lead for development, at least theoretically.

The only strong point in favour of Marandi was his tribal identity that more man qualified his stay at the top but it seems the magic has faded and tribesmen have turned against him owing to high expectations from new state and slow pace of development.

However, the most important failure of the Marandi seen in the political circles here is the Prime Minister’s now infamous word, “communication gap with his ministerial colleagues”. Even the ministers have been on record ruing over-bureaucratisation of Marandi governance. They complained that the Secretaries of the departments were working at their own sweet will and aspirations and requirements of the ministers and legislators. Mr Marandi, however, is reportedly used to rely more on his officials than his ministerial colleagues and that is why the Cabinet cohesion was said to be a casualty. The question of his successor, however, still eludes an answer.

New Delhi, November 8
The Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, tonight ruled out any move by the armed forces to strike terrorists and their camps in the occupied Kashmir although hot pursuit was a legitimate action against an enemy under the international law.

“It is our considered view that we will not do it (strike terrorist bases in the PoK),” Mr Advani told PTI.

He said when pressure was maximum to cross the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir during the 1999 Kargil conflict, “we resisted it”.

Maintaining that hot-pursuit was internationally recognised as a legitimate course against an enemy, Mr Advani, however, said: “We hope we will be able to repeat the stand we took during the Kargil war.”

Regarding his remarks on POTO at the BJP National Executive in Amritsar, Mr Advani sought to close the issue saying he had only stated that the party was in a win-win situation whether or not POTO became POTA.

“I only said at the executive that the party would be in a win-win situation on the issue of POTO whatever the outcome in Parliament and what party President Jana Krishnamurthy stated at his press conference was correct”, he said here.

The Home Minister said he had only told Law Minister Arun Jaitley that if the Opposition did not support POTO, they would be wittingly or unwittingly helping terrorists.

“I did not make these remarks at the National Executive and, therefore Krishnamurthy was correct when he said that I did not say so at the meeting”, he said.
PTI

New Delhi, November 8
Top US Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice today categorically stated that the USA would fight terrorism ‘wherever we see it’ including India and Washington’s good relationship with Pakistan would in no way undermine its ability to deal with the menace.

“We believe that our relations with any country in the world begin with an understanding that the support of terrorists is unacceptable. That includes any country in the world, including Pakistan”, Ms Rice told BBC’s Hard Talk India telecast tonight.

The US National Security Adviser was of the opinion that Pakistan understood that global terrorism was a threat to stability and a threat to civilised countries.

“And, so there is no reason to expect that our very good relationship with Pakistan is in any way going to proscribe our ability with terrorism”.

On whether the USA could assure New Delhi that it would address terrorism against India when ‘phase two’ began after Osama bin Laden and Taliban were taken care of, she said: “We have already turned our attention to terrorism outside of Afghanistan. This is not a one-note war”.

Emphasising that it was not a matter of phase two, Ms Rice said: “We have told the Indian Government that we intend to fight terrorism wherever we see it. That includes in India, that includes in the USA.”

The National Security Adviser described Indo-US ties as a strategic relationship of tremendous importance. “It is not a zero-sum game with a good relationship with Pakistan”.

In the interview to the BBC to be repeated on Sunday morning, Ms Rice said dialogue between India and Pakistan was important to stability in the region.

Asked whether Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was right in wanting a cessation of cross-border terrorism before the resumption of the Indo-Pakistan dialogue, she said: “no one can force parties to sit down and talk. We believe that it is always a good thing to sit down and talk. We believe that dialogue is good”.

Ms Rice, noting that the Indian Government was ‘pleased’ that the USA had put Jaish-e-Mohammad on the banned list, said the USA had turned its attention to concerns about terrorist groups worldwide.

Asked whether there were any doubts that Pakistan was harbouring terrorists Ms Rice said. “We believe that Pakistan is a supporter in the war against terrorism... Pakistan is not just a credible ally but an ally who is proving itself every day in its support for the coalition. President Musharraf has been forthcoming. He understands what is at stake here. And we are satisfied with the cooperation.”
UNI

New Delhi, November 8
The USA is understood to have asked Islamabad to hand over to India Dawood Ibrahim, Tiger Memon and others accused in the Bombay blast case who have taken shelter in Pakistan, highly-placed sources said tonight.

Quoting intelligence reports, the sources said Washington had asked Islamabad to “take action” against the March 1993 serial blasts accused and that the list of such terrorists “would be further enlarged”.

This follows the US declaration that its fight against terrorism would not be confined to the war against Taliban in Afghanistan.

The sources said if Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has now described the recent attack on Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in Srinagar as “terrorism” and condemned it, “the USA can ask Islamabad to close down all terrorist camps operating there.”

Pakistan, which is now part of the battle against terrorism, can also be asked to hand over Dawood Ibrahim and Jaishe-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar and the hijackers of the Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar in December 1999.

Home Minister L.K. Advani had brought up these concerns before British Premier Tony Blair during his recent visit.
PTI

Dehra Dun
Given the present circumstances it may not be an easy task for Mr Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, the new Chief Minister of Uttaranchal to deliver results as per the expectations of the BJP party high command but his dedicated and dynamic nature of working hard at the grassroot level is likely to earn him a good reputation among the bureaucracy and the masses by overhauling the system of governance adopted by his predecessor.
In an exclusive interview with TNS, Mr Koshiyari outlines his priorities as Chief Minister.

Excerpts:

Q: It is said that your predecessor, Mr Nityanand Swami, lacked administrative experience that paid him heavily. And so is the situation before you. Are you going to adopt the same style of functioning as that of Mr Swami or bring in something new?

A: Everybody has his own style of functioning with certain qualities and of course even weaknesses. I will try to overcome the weaknesses of my predecessor and perform better in the administration and as well as in the politics. Certainly, I will tone up the administration. I have strictly told all ministers and bureaucrats to deliver results rather than follow the old tradition of sticking to file work.

Q: Is this an indication of a major bureaucratic reshuffle in the coming days?

A: It depends upon the performance. If somebody is performing well then there is no need to put him on some other job. But if somebody is not doing well on a particular job then he will definitely be transferred. But as such there is no plan of a major bureaucratic reshuffle.

Q:
There are many issues pertaining to the finances of the state, transfer of assets from the parent state and more importantly about the future of hydro-power projects in Uttaranchal. What immediate steps will you take to put the state on the right course of development?

A: The National Development Council has already cleared the grant of the special economic category status to the state. Regarding the transfer of assets of the Power Department, an agreement has already been reached between both states with the efforts initiated by the Union Home Ministry. The legal draft proposal of handing over the assets is lying with the Union Power Ministry.

Q: You have been holding the charge of the Power department since the inception of the state. But no progress has been made in commissioning of more than one dozen power projects already hanging fire from the last many decades. What are you going to do to go ahead in commissioning these projects?

A: The state government has decided to start the Maneri Bhali Power Project on its own. Although, many private parties like the Birlas and Jai Prakash and the Punjab Government were interested in putting up their stake in this project but after a careful study of its viability the state government has decided to go alone. As far as the Tehri Dam Power Project is concerned, the state government has a little role to play, that of rehabilitation work.

New Delhi, November 8
The Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) today warned the Vajpayee government against compromising India’s interest during the World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting beginning at Doha tomorrow.

“The Indian ministerial delegation attending the Doha meeting should walkout of the meeting if India’s aspiration are not met in the WTO,” SJM’s Delhi unit general secretary Ashwani Mahajan told newspersons here.

“Walking out of summit will go a long way to creation of a new trade block to threaten developed countries that unless they treat the developing countries on equal footing with them in the WTO, all these countries would quit WTO enblock and form their own WTO,” he said.

Mr Mahajan said after the failure of the Seatle meet, developed countries (USA in particular) were trying to push through new round of trade negotiations.

The agenda they were putting forth included legal right to invest in agriculture, textiles, clothing, social clause, labour standards, child labour, anti-dumping duties, anti-subsidy laws, environmental standards and intellectual property rights, he said, adding that if these were accepted, it would turn out to be inimical to developing economies like India.

Sriganganagar, November 8
Bikaner canal, which is being emptied for maintenance, is a veritable junkyard, albeit a dangerous one with the police recovering live ammunition near Jandwala Meera Sangla village in Abohar.

According to police sources, a big steel box containing 200 live rounds of assorted guns besides munitions for rocket launchers said to be dating from the dark days of terrorism in Punjab, has been found.

The box has yielded 24 bombs while thee bombs were found fixed in another small trunk a little distance away.

Two rusted rocket launchers were also recovered from near Kotha village in Sriganganagar by the local police. Investigations are on.

The Army has been notified and the Army bomb disposal squad from Fazilka is trying to defuse these. Meanwhile the entire site of the recovery has been sealed off and patrolling intensified along the canal in both states.

The police has not ruled out the possibility of these being dumped by terrorists on the run.

The sources said the canal-bed is likely to yield more such caches.

There have been reports of skeletons and vehicles having been found at many places. It is likely that this may shed new light on the disappearance of people.

In view of the recoveries, the Sriganganagar police too is taking no chances and police stations have been asked to be on a lookout for such items.

The villagers have been warned not to touch any item in the canal-bed.

On the other hand, certain politicians in collusion of irrigation officials have auctioned the fishing rights to a private contractor for Rs 50,000.

Sources alleged the contractor is making a killing by netting the fish with hardly any effort as the water stands only two to three feet at many places.

The cops, too, on their part have not made all recoveries public and certain officials are trying to corner valuable items like motor cycles and cars.

On Tuesday morning, a car and a motor cycle were reportedly recovered from the canal-bed near the cooperative sugar mill between Abohar - Fazilka which were not shown in the police station registers. The numberplates were removed on the spot by the cops, the sources alleged.

Not only this, costly household items in cases and boxes containing jewellery, too have been taken into possession by the police.

With these recoveries, the question of ownership arises? Whom do these belong to.

Since the canal belongs to the Rajasthan Government, the state government should stake claim. The government and the police are studying the matter.

New Delhi, November 8
Situation in Maharashtra’s textile-town of Malegaon, which recently witnessed communal violence, is still surcharged, the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) today said and recommended a relief package, including exgratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the victims killed in the rioting.

The two-member NCM team, which visited riot-hit areas in the powerloom town, said the communal situation, although under control “is still surcharged” and recommended to state government to take “drastic steps to restore the eroded confidence of Muslim minority in the police.”

The members, John Joseph and A.M. Sethna, while releasing their findings, observed that inflammatory speeches made during a rally on October 19 on American strikes in Afghanistan and casualties of innocent Afghan nationals appeared to be the major cause of the tension.

“The incident that triggered the rioting was small and insignificant and was due to poor understanding and the appreciation of the situation at the level of a constable posted at the Jama Masjid of Malegaon,” they said. PTI

Malegaon, November 8
Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today announced a Rs 3 crore rehabilitation package for the riot-affected people of Malegaon and its neighbouring villages.

Mr Deshmukh, who was in Malegaon today, also distributed cheques of Rs 2 lakh each to next of kin of the 12 persons who died in the riots and two cheques of Rs 50,000 each to those permanently disabled, from the Chief Minister’s relief fund.

Later, while talking to mediapersons, he said the insurance claims of Rs 25 lakh would be settled within a fortnight. Compensation was also announced for those who had to bear losses to their houses, kiosks, handcarts, vehicles and cycles in riots.

Mr Deshmkuh was given a clean chit by the Congress high command yesterday in the handling of riot situation. The high command also expressed confidence in his leadership.

Mr Deshmukh further said that the state government was also considering to set up a rehabilitation and assistance committee for the riot-affected people.
UNI

New Delhi, November 8
India today denied the involvement of its Army officers with the US Army in helping the Northern Alliance to fight the militia in Afghanistan as claimed by the Taliban.

“No one belonging to the Indian Army is involved in guiding the Northern Alliance in Northern Afghanistan,” a Defence Ministry spokesman said.

The spokesman was responding to reports quoting Mr Abdul Salam Zaeef, the Taliban Ambassador to Islamabad, that Indian, Russian and US officers were guiding Northern Alliance commanders in Northern Afghanistan.

Mr Zaeef had claimed Indian officers of the rank of General and Brigadier were involved.

Bhubaneswar, November 8
Even as terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden is hiding in mountains and caves in distant Afghanistan, his lookalike in Orissa’s Nayagarh district has hit the headlines after being allegedly hounded by the district police.

This “Laden” is not a Muslim — he is a Brahmin wearing a sacred thread and claims himself to be a revolutionary poet.

With his facial appearance and beard resembling that of the world’s most wanted terrorist, Laxmikanta Panda of Badangi village of neighbouring Ganjam district has been attracting attention in the wake of the ongoing US strikes on Afghanistan, the police said.
PTI

Mumbai, November 8
Altogether 123 accused, including film star Sanjay
Dutt, will put up their defence in the 1993 bomb blasts trial which has concluded after six years in a TADA court here.

Designated judge
P.D. Kode today asked defence lawyers to put forth their arguments in response to the CBI’s submission on the role played by the accused in the conspiracy leading to serial explosions in the metropolis which killed more than 200 persons and injured several
others.

Defence lawyer Majeed Memon would open arguments tomorrow. He is expected to dwell upon the legality of evidence tendered by the two approvers in this case.

He would submit arguments on the alleged conspiracy, the motive of the serial blasts and touch upon the individual and collective role allegedly played by the
accused.

Mr Memon informed the court that he would also go into the political backdrop in which these blasts were engineered and focus on communal disharmony and the role of the police as spelt out in the Srikrishna Commission report.
PTI

New Delhi, November 8
The Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) has condemned the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance
(POTO) saying it is aimed at throttling not only Press freedom but democratic dissent at large.

In a statement, DUJ President S.K. Pande and General Secretary Javid Faridi described POTO as “Gag the press Bill” which is aimed at bringing the “Emergency through the back door”. The DUJ in association with the Press Club of India is organising a discussion on the issue on Saturday.

New Delhi, November 8
A designated court on Thursday remanded Chief Commissioner of Central Excise (Delhi) Someshvar Mishra, who was arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh from an
industrialist, in four days of CBI custody. Special CBI Judge M.L. Shani also remanded industrialist Ashok Chaturvedi and his employee, arrested on Wednesday along with Mishra for allegedly offering the bribe, in four days of CBI remand and asked the agency to produce all three on Monday.

Meanwhile, the CBI claimed to have recovered a diary from the residence of Chaturvedi with an entry of “50:50” against Mishra’s name. The agency sources said they believed it was a code for the bribe amount of Rs 10 lakh that was to be paid to him in two instalments of Rs 5 lakh each.

The sleuths of anti-corruption branch, who began raids at the residence of Mishra and Chaturvedi, owner of Noida-based Flex industry, also claimed that the industrialist had “gifted” a car to Mishra.
PTI

Jodhpur, November 8
Prohibitory orders have been promulgated after local residents clashed with the police protesting against an anti-encroachment drive here, a top
official said today.

The police resorted to lathi charge and burst teargas shells to disperse the crowd yesterday which pelted it with stones injuring 18 persons, including 10 policemen, District Collector Rajat Kumar said. About 35 persons, including three women, were arrested in this connection, he said.

Mr Rajat Kumar said acting on a high court order, a joint team of the Urban Improvement Trust and the Jodhpur Municipal Corporation went to the Dev Nagar-Pal Link Road for the demolition of unauthorised constructions . An unruly crowd protesting the action clashed with the police and indulged in violence, he said. Additional police force had been deployed in the area where the situation was described as tense but under control, he said.
PTI

NATIONAL BRIEFS

ARREST WARRANT
AGAINST ASHUTOSH
SAGAR (MP): A local court on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant against film actor Ashutosh Rana for not remaining present in connection with a criminal case registered against him in 1988. The warrant was issued by the Judicial Magistrate who cancelled his surety on bail granted earlier. Rana is allegedly involved in a case of releasing a youth from police custody.
PTI

RAJASTHAN TO HAVE

TWO-CHILD NORM
JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Government on Wednesday decided to enforce the two-child norm in the state from June 1,2002, barring its employees from having a third child. “There would be no new job for a person having more than two kids, nor any promotion to such employees who prefer a third kid after June 1, 2002,” the Minister of State for Health, Mr Rajendra Choudhary, said while releasing a report on the state of world population in 2001.
PTI

CLASSICAL DANCER

SHIVARAM DEAD
KOCHI: Veteran classical dancer Anand Shivaram died on Wednesday at a private hospital in Ernakulam district following a heart attack, family sources said. He was 85. Shivaram had taught classical dance at Rabindranath Tagore’s Viswabharati University at Shantiniketan. He hailed from Ezhikkara in North Paravoor of the district. The dancer is survived by wife Janakai, son Mohanan and daughter Kumari.
PTI

NINE DROWNED IN

BOAT MISHAP
GORAKHPUR: At least nine persons, mostly children, drowned in the turbulent Ghaghra near Dhebari village in the district on Wednesday. According to a delayed report received here, 26 persons boarded a boat from the other bank of the river in Rajakhas village of Azamgarh district. There was no boatman and the boat started sinking due to a heavy storm around 9 p.m. While 17 persons swam ashore, two women and seven children drowned mid-stream. The police could recover the body of two-year-old Shivani only. UNI

CURRENCY-EATING
DEER DIES
BHARATPUR (RAJASTHAN): A spotted deer which developed a liking for eating currency notes died at the Keoladev National Park here on Thursday. “Ramdas”, who got into the habit of eating notes after a chance meal of a 10-rupee note a decade ago, was buried in the park premises. The deer was not interested in ordinary paper.
UNI

PATIL TO BE CONG

DY LEADER IN LS
NEW DELHI: Mr Shivraj Patil will be the new deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha. CPP sources said Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi on Thursday communicated the decision to Lok Sabha Speaker G.M.C. Balayogi. Mr Patil, a former Lok Sabha Speaker, succeeds Madhavrao Scindia, who died in a plane crash in September.
PTI